A love lasting forever is what many couples seek out in their relationship. While most people find partners to share love and passion, not all of them are meant to be together. One such couple who shared years of love and intimacy with one another but unfortunately ended up going separate paths are English actor Colin Firth and his ex-wife Livia Giuggioli. But who really is Livia Giuggioli? Here’s everything we know about Livia Giuggioli and her relationship with Colin Firth; from their marriage to their eventual divorce.
Contents
Livia Spent her Early Years in Italy
Livia Giuggioli was born on September 4, 1969, in Rome, Lazio, Italy. Her parents raised her in the city alongside her twin brothers Alessandro and Nicola and sister Catalina where she completed her schooling. As a kid growing up, she had been very interested in the field of filmmaking and so as soon as she graduated from high school, she decided to pursue higher education in film studies. However, she met initial resistance from her parents but eventually convinced them to let her pursue her passion. Livia Giuggioli graduated from the University of Rome, one of the most prestigious universities in the world with a degree in film studies.
Livia started her Career in Filmmaking
Shortly after her graduation, Livia started working as a production assistant in the 1996 TV mini-series ‘Nostromo’. After working on that series, she started to venture into documentary filmmaking. One of her first projects was working as a production assistant and writer in the 2000 documentary film ‘Un Sogno Fatto in Sicilia’ directed by Marc Evans.
Over the course of two decades, Livia Giuggioli continued to be a part of more TV series and documentaries. Her 2007 documentary film ‘In Prison, My Whole Life’ directed by Marc Evans was highly praised for its highly controversial subject matter; the wrongful trial and death of a political activist who was accused of killing a policeman in 1981. The film was produced under her own production house called Nana Production which she co-founded with Colin Firth. The film went on to become the receiver of the best documentary at the 2007 ‘International Human Rights Awards’ held in Geneva.
Besides these, Livia has served as a producer for multiple meaningful projects like ‘Girlfriend in a Coma’ (2012), ‘The True Cost’ (2015), ‘Amá’ (2018) and ‘Fashionscapes’ (2018-2020).
She met Colin Firth on the set of Nostromo
Livia and Colin Firth first met while working on the 1996 TV mini-series ‘Nostromo’. Colin Firth was one of the leading roles in the series and Livia was working as a production assistant. At the time of their meeting, Firth’s career was slowing down despite the success of the period drama series ‘Pride and Prejudice’.
Previously Colin had admitted to having been instantly smitten upon meeting his future wife for the first time. He said:
“I was on the steps of a church in this ancient city and I saw her coming through the crowd, and it was a bolt to the heart. I couldn’t move.”
The two eventually ended up going out and got married in 1997.
Livia Giuggioli gave birth to the couple’s first son, Luca on March 29, 2001. They welcomed their youngest son Matteo in August 2003. Livia is also stepmother to William Joseph Firth, Colin’s first child with ex-girlfriend Meg Tilly. The family mostly divided their time between Wandsworth, London and Umbria, Italy. In a 2014 interview, Colin shared details about their living arrangements. “West London suits us very nicely and our other considerable distraction is Umbria, in Italy where we have a place.”
With the family living in two different places, it must have been easier for their children to connect to both parts of their parent’s culture.
She is Passionately Supporting Eco-friendly Ventures
In 2007, Livia partnered up with her brother Nicola Giuggioli and one of her close friends Ivon Coulson to start ‘Eco-Age’, a consultancy that promotes eco-friendly fashion products. She has been constantly speaking out about the necessity of becoming an eco-friendly entity and since has even travelled to Bangladesh to learn more about the efforts of the country’s fashion houses toward a sustainable environment.
Livia is also credited for creating the ‘Green Carpet Challenge’ also known as GCC. In 2002, she established ‘Green Cut’ which was the co-venture of GCC with ‘American Express’. During this collaboration, eight fashion designers from all around the world designed apparel that promotes GCC and environment-friendly clothing. For her efforts in green advocacy, she was awarded ‘UN leader of change’ the same year.
In 2013, GCC reached new heights as one of the world’s leading fashion brands, and Gucci also became a part of it. As a result of this, Gucci rolled out a collection of ‘zero deforestation’ handbags. Livia called it a ‘breakthrough moment for sustainable style’. In 2014, she received the ‘Rainforest Alliance Award and an honorary award from the ‘National German Sustainable Foundation’ for her efforts in a sustainable fashion.
Apart from this, she has also produced a documentary called ‘True Cost’ that explored the impact of fashion on people and the planet and the importance of green fashion. The film is one of her most popular works in terms of filmmaking. She is also the co-founder of Quintosapore, an agriculture-related business with her brothers.
She is also a Human Rights Activist
Besides her remarkable work for green fashion, Livia Giuggioli is also keen on working for human rights. She has dedicated much of her time to ‘Oxfam Global’, an organization working for human rights and eliminating poverty from the world.
Along with her now ex-husband Colin Firth, she supports ‘Survival International’, an organization dedicating its work to the survival of indigenous and tribal people around the world. She is known to have advocated to save the Brazilian tribe ‘Awá’ which is considered the most endangered tribe in the world.
She is also the co-founder of ‘The Circle’, a non-profit organization working for creating a fairer world for women and girls all around the world. Her work in philanthropy has definitely helped her shape the course of her filmmaking career.
Livia and Colin have Separated in 2019
On December 13, 2019, news broke out that Colin Firth and his wife of 20 years decided to legally separate from one another. Through their publicist, they released a joint statement. It read:
“They maintain a close friendship and remain united in their love for their children. They kindly ask for privacy. There will be no further comment.”
Since the couple were known to be inseparable for years, the news was kind of shocking to many. Not much is revealed regarding the reason for their separation.
However, it seems the marriage had already seen cracks for quite a while. The couple was reported to have taken a quiet break from one another for a few years, before giving their marriage another try.
Livia was Accused of Cheating on her Husband Colin
In 2018, Livia accused Marco Brancaccia, a journalist for news agency Ansa, of harassing her through phone calls and messages. However, the man himself claimed to have shared a passionate year-long affair with the actor’s wife. When the claims were made, many believed that Livia had cheated on her husband, Colin.
Later on, Livia admitted to having a relationship with Brancaccia but denied it being an act of infidelity. A statement released on her behalf read:
“A few years ago, Colin and Livia privately made the decision to separate. During that time, Livia briefly became involved with former friend Brancaccia. The Firths have since reunited.”
Further, the statement stated:
“Subsequently, Mr Brancaccia carried out a frightening campaign of harassment over the course of several months, much of which is documented. For obvious reasons, the Firths have never had any desire to make this matter public.”
Marco Brancaccia strongly denied any such one-sided allegations and even filed a legal complaint ‘to protect his good name and honour’.
Her Life after the Separation: Where is Livia Now?
After her separation from Colin, Livia has started to live in Città Della Pieve, Umbria, Italy, one of the two places the Firths used to reside. Being closer to home, she has also actively started to promote Quintosapore through her social media. She still advocates for sustainable fashion and many climate-related problems.
And her relationship with her ex-husband, Colin? It seems both of them have a genuine friendship even after the separation. Whether it is in Italy or in England, both of them make time to spend with the family. The Firths have thus far maintained an amicable relationship that every ex-couple wishes to have.